As some of you know I am a runner, it is what I say keeps my mental health 'regulated.'  Notice I say regulated and not it is the sole reason I have more good days than bad days.  I had a conversation last week about how physical exercise can be good and bad for our mental health, let me explain a little bit.  

Physical exercise can be good for our mental health and wellbeing, but first lets look at what mental wellbeing is, it is the sense of feeling about ourselves, how we deal with the ups and down and cope with the challenges life brings.  Notice how I never used any positive or negative language in this statement. 

Being active doesn't have to mean joining the latest expensive gym or running 40 mile per week.  It can be finding something you enjoy doing, maybe going out walking

Physical exercise has a positive impact on our mood, it releases a hormone called endorphins that make us feel better.  It helps with concentration, sleep and motivation.  Creating a routine can also be good for our mind.

So what are the negatives?  Well first of all I have to say I have done this in the past and that is an overreliance on exercise as a management tool for my mental health.  Over exercising can have a negative impact on our mental health, of course how much exercise we do varies from person to person but it is something to think about.  The biggest factor is the overreliance, exercise is one way of managing mental health but there are other things we can do in our life.  If we get injured what then?  Does our mental health decrease because we can't exercise?  We may be exercising so much that we are getting run down or mentally exhausted.  

The other thing to think about is when we are solely trying to manage our mental health, particularly if we have a diagnosis of anxiety or depression solely with exercise.  There are many treatments out there such as cognitive behavioural therapy or medication that can help us.  By managing our mental health with a range of things rather than just one we can make huge strides into improving our mental health and coping with tough times in our life.  

Any questions on this please feel free to message me on andrew@thrive-together.co.uk or 07701011977.